Media Advisory from Chief Communication Officer Jim Coll

Beginning on Thursday, May 17, 2018, the Office of University Communications at The University of Southern Mississippi will implement a number of new tactics to best facilitate your work as you cover USM news and events. We hope that the changes outlined below make your job easier, as we recognize the increasing public pressure on you to deliver efficient and accurate news.

1. We have created a new email address, mediaexperts@usm.edu, that will be monitored by staff members at both the Hattiesburg and Gulf Park campuses. Requests for faculty experts to speak on the record about relevant state and national news should be sent to this address for the most efficient assistance.

3. Beginning on Thursday morning, we will deliver one email per weekday that includes the following, if applicable that day:

-The top USM news release for the day from the perspective of the Office of University Communications.

-Links to additional stories posted to our news platform, news.usm.edu, that may be of interest to your audiences.

-Recommendations for potential media experts for state and national news stories.

-Available notes about any potential opportunities for photo or video content.

Our goal is to have the daily email in your inboxes at 8:45 a.m. As we implement these new tactics, we will no longer be sending multiple news releases throughout each day, except in special circumstances. Stories will continue to be posted at news.usm.edu as they are written and edited and can be pulled from the site. On Twitter, you can also follow the account, @SouthernMissNow, where the majority of releases are also posted.

We appreciate your work on behalf of communities across Mississippi as recognized authoritative sources of information and welcome your feedback with these new tactics as we work to assist you in your role as a voice for your communities. Van Arnold, our Assistant Director for News and Media Relations, can be of best assistance. He can be reached at 601.266.5568 or van.arnold@usm.edu. Finally, we are always updating our media email lists. If you are aware of someone who should be removed or added to our lists, please let Van know.

Today’s email includes news releases about 23 recent graduates of the College of Business who earned new business suits; national accreditation for our graduate program in counseling psychology, and new board members being appointed to the Fannie Lou Hamer Cancer Foundation Board. In addition, history Professor Susannah Ural is available for interviews to discuss the significance of the Memorial Day holiday.

Today’s email includes news releases about Dr. Monty Graham being named to the national Board of directors for Ocean Exploration Trust, Inc., and a former client of USM’s Children’s Center for Communication Disorders earning a scholarship to attend the University.